''Soundtracks'' is a 1970

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

by the German

krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It originated among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electron ...

group Can, containing music written for various films. The album marks the departure of the band's original vocalist

Malcolm Mooney Malcolm "Desse" Mooney (born 1944) is an American singer, poet, and artist, best known as the original vocalist for German krautrock band Can (band), Can. Biography Early life Malcolm Mooney's father, after serving in the navy, became a jazz pia ...

, who sings on two tracks, and his replacement by

Damo Suzuki , known as Damo Suzuki (ダモ鈴木), was a Japanese musician best known as the vocalist for the German Krautrock group Can (band), Can between 1970 and 1973. Born in 1950 in Kobe, Japan, he moved to Europe in the late 1960s where he was spotte ...

. "Don't Turn the Light On, Leave Me Alone" features Suzuki's first recorded performance with the band. Stylistically, the record also documents the group's transition to the more meditative and experimental mode of the studio albums that followed. The back cover of the album states:

"CAN SOUNDTRACKS" is the second album of THE CAN but not album no. two ... Album no. two nowiki/>''Tago Mago''">Tago_Mago.html" ;"title="nowiki/>''Tago Mago">nowiki/>''Tago Mago''will be released in the beginning of 1971.

"She Brings the Rain", written for the 1969 film ' by , was later featured in Wim Wenders' 1994 film ''Lisbon Story (1994 film), Lisbon Story'', Oskar Roehler's 2000 film ''Die Unberührbare'' and Tran Anh Hung's 2010 film ''Norwegian Wood (film), Norwegian Wood''.

Reception

In a retrospective review in ''

Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...

'', Nick Southall called ''Soundtracks'' "a strange beast of a record" that "appear directionless", but has some "absolutely sublime moments".

Dominique Leone Dominique Leone is an American musician and writer based in New York City. Early life and education Leone was born in Shreveport, Louisiana on December 29, 1973, and grew up in the Dallas, Texas area. He received a Bachelor's degree in Music Per ...

wrote in her retrospective review for ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' that while many of the tracks on ''Soundtracks'' lack the "artistic reach" Can achieved on ''

Monster Movie A monster movie, monster film, creature feature or giant monster film is a film that focuses on one or more characters struggling to survive attacks by one or more antagonistic monsters, often abnormally megafauna, large ones. The film may also ...

'' and other albums, they are not "throwaways". Leone called " Mother Sky" the album's highlight, adding that it "has an intensity matching anything on the debut". In another retrospective review of ''Soundtracks'', for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, Jason Ankeny remarked: "The dichotomy between the two singers is readily apparent: Suzuki's odd, strangulated vocals fit far more comfortably into the group's increasingly intricate and subtle sound, allowing for greater variation than Mooney's stream-of-consciousness discourse." In March 2005, '' Q'' placed "Mother Sky" at number 48 in its list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Tracks".

Track listing

Personnel

;Can *

Holger Czukay Holger Schüring (24 March 1938 – 5 September 2017), known professionally as Holger Czukay (), was a German musician who co-founded the krautrock group Can. Described as "successfully bridg ngthe gap between pop and the avant-garde", Czukay a ...

– bass guitar, double bass *

Michael Karoli Michael Karoli (29 April 1948 – 17 November 2001) was a German guitarist, violinist, and sound-mixer. He was a founding member of the krautrock band Can. Biography Early life Michael Karoli was born 29 April 1948 in Straubing, Bavaria, t ...

– electric guitar, violin *

Jaki Liebezeit Jaki Liebezeit (born Hans Liebezeit; 26 May 1938 – 22 January 2017) was a German drummer, best known as a founding member of experimental rock band Can. He was called "one of the few drummers to convincingly meld the funky and the cerebral". ...

– drums, percussion, flute *

Irmin Schmidt Irmin Schmidt (born 29 May 1937) is a German keyboardist and composer, best known as a founding member of the band Can and composer of numerous film scores. Biography Early life and composer career Irmin Schmidt was born on 29 May 1937 in Berli ...

– keyboards, synthesizers *

– lead vocals (5, 7) *

– lead vocals (1, 2, 4, 6), percussion

References

External links

* {{Authority control Can (band) albums 1970 compilation albums Mute Records compilation albums Liberty Records compilation albums Soundtrack compilation albums United Artists Records compilation albums Albums produced by Holger Czukay Albums produced by Michael Karoli Albums produced by Jaki Liebezeit Albums produced by Irmin Schmidt Albums produced by Damo Suzuki